'Lust system': Rise of the Harem lord-Chapter 38: Zehn

Location: Dominion – Day One After Rewrite

Sunlight poured through the windows of the Dominion Tower — soft, golden, and real.

Elias stood at the balcony, shirtless, hair still damp from a morning shower. Aya leaned beside him, blade across her back, quiet and relaxed.

"Still feels like a dream," she said.

"It’s not," Elias replied, watching the city below. "We rewrote everything."

Behind them, Mira worked on new system updates. Aurora was teaching combat moves to new recruits in the courtyard. Lilith was lazily sipping wine from the top of the tower. Rina was cataloguing ancient system data with Velhira in the archive.

They were alive.

Free.

But something was changing.

The System wasn’t collapsing.

It was growing.

---

System Alert: Expansion Detected

> [Lust System Rebirth Protocol: Phase 2 Initiated]

With the Heartroom no longer restricted, new Hosts are awakening worldwide.

Elias narrowed his eyes.

"New Hosts?"

Rina ran in seconds later. "It’s true! Look at this!"

> [Host Synchronization Request – Location: Eastern Scorchlands]

Name: Zehn Arclight

System Type: Lust Variant – Flame of Hunger]

Status: Unstable – Bond Attempt Failed (Fatality Avoided)

Aya blinked. "That doesn’t sound like us."

Rina continued. "There are more... dozens. Some can’t control their emotions. Some are hurting people."

Velhira arrived, her tone grim.

"Of course. When you opened the gate to true emotion, you gave access to everyone. Even those not ready."

---

A New Threat

Mira spoke up. "If even one of these rogue Hosts snaps... we’re back to chaos."

Elias turned, his voice calm but cold. "Then we find them before that happens."

Velhira added, "And you’ll need help. The system is evolving. That means new powers, new temptations."

---

New Characters Introduced

1. Zehn Arclight – The Flame Host

A fire-hearted youth from the Eastern Scorchlands. Charismatic, wild, and emotionally unstable. He bonds through heat and conflict. Has already "burned" three would-be companions by accident.

2. Lira Vex – Mistress of Echo Lust

A cold, seductive tactician awakened in the Iron Courts of the South. Her system lets her mirror the desires of others — and manipulate them to fight for her. Her loyalties are unknown.

3. Cassian Thorn – Bond Reaper

Once a failed Harem Lord candidate, now resurrected by the system’s rewrite. His system no longer binds — it breaks. He severs other Hosts’ bonds. Ruthless, logical, and vengeful toward Elias.

---

The Mission Begins

Elias paced.

"We need to locate the nearest awakened Host."

Velhira nodded. "Zehn Arclight is unstable but reachable."

Aya cracked her knuckles. "Then let’s go wake the fire-boy up."

Lilith dropped down from above. "I’ve always wanted to see the Scorchlands."

Aurora joined them, a sly grin on her lips. "Road trip?"

Elias smirked.

"Let’s show the world what the real Lust System looks like."

Location: Eastern Scorchlands – Ember Vale

The air was thick with smoke.

The sun above the valley bled orange, casting shadows that flickered like fire spirits. Cracked earth stretched for miles, and in the center of it all was a storm of flames. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Elias and the girls landed just beyond the chaos.

Explosions lit up the horizon.

"Damn," Aya muttered, shielding her eyes. "He’s not just unstable... he’s completely feral."

Velhira narrowed her gaze. "Zehn Arclight. Host of the Flame of Hunger. The Lust System adapted to his obsession with passion and destruction."

Mira scanned the data feed. "His bond is overheating. If it snaps—his linked girl dies."

Elias stepped forward. "Then we stop him. Now."

---

Inside the Firestorm

Zehn stood at the center of a scorched crater, shirtless, breathing hard. Red fire tattoos burned across his chest and arms—living flame, controlled by emotion.

At his feet was a girl—barely conscious, chained by fire.

"You lied to me!" Zehn shouted, eyes glowing gold-red. "You said you loved me—but you were afraid of my power!"

The girl wept. "I didn’t lie! I just—can’t take it—it hurts—"

> [System Warning: Host Zehn Arclight – Bond Overload: 92%]

[Fatal Emotional Feedback in progress]

Elias appeared through the smoke, calm, voice cutting through the fire.

"Let her go."

Zehn turned sharply, heat rising off him in waves. "Who the hell are you?! Another coward trying to control me?!"

Elias didn’t flinch. "No. Someone who knows what it’s like to be out of control."

---

Confrontation: Elias vs. Zehn

Zehn roared. Flames spiraled around him like whips.

Aurora blocked the blast with a wall of light.

Aya zipped behind the girl, cutting through her chains.

Zehn screamed. "NO—SHE’S MINE!"

But before he could launch another strike, Elias was there.

Palm on Zehn’s chest.

And for a second—

Everything stopped.

> [Initiating Direct Bond Sync: Harem Lord vs Flame Host]

[Accessing Emotional Core...]

---

Inside Zehn’s Mind

Flashes of memories—

A childhood of being feared.

A village burned down by accident.

Girls who got too close and ran away crying.

The one girl who stayed... until today.

Zehn’s voice cracked inside the bond: "I didn’t mean to hurt her. I just... didn’t want to be alone."

Elias replied: "Then stop burning everything that tries to love you."

---

The Collapse

The fire around Zehn extinguished like blown-out candles.

He collapsed to his knees, shaking, the fire-tattoos fading.

The girl crawled into his arms, whispering, "I never left."

Elias stepped back, chest rising and falling.

Aurora whistled. "Well, that’s one way to calm a walking inferno."

Lilith smirked. "I liked the fire. Too bad he’s cute and dangerous."

---

New Bond Formed

> [Zehn Arclight – Registered: Host of Lust Variant – Flame of Hunger]

[System Stability: Restored.]

[Bond Type: Voluntary – Unlocked Emotional Sync]

Zehn looked up at Elias.

"I don’t know what just happened... but thank you."

Elias offered a hand.

"You want to learn how to control it? Come with us."

Zehn took it.

---

Final Scene: Elsewhere

Far across the System lands...

Lira Vex—Mistress of Echo Lust—watched the footage through a shimmering screen.

"So... Elias is collecting more than just lovers now."

She smiled.

"Let’s see how many bonds it takes before he finally breaks."

She turned to a mirror.

"Cassian. You watching this?"

The mirror cracked... and something dark laughed.

The platform shimmered with light as Elias and the girls returned through the system gate.

Zehn Arclight followed behind them, quiet now, cloak draped over his burned shoulders. His bonded girl, Sae, clung to him—still shaken, but alive.

The room buzzed with life. Technicians scrambled. Host readings lit up the walls.

"Another stable bond," Mira muttered, tapping her tablet. "One more and the system might crown you a sub-system god."

Lilith rolled her eyes. "Please. Like he needs another title."

Aya looked back at Zehn. "You gonna keep your flames in check this time?"

Zehn gave a small smirk. "If I lose control again, Elias can punch me in the face."

Aurora laughed. "You’ll fit right in."

---

Meanwhile... Deep Underground

Location: The Fractured Vault – Unknown Coordinates

Chains clanged.

A flicker of white eyes shone in the dark.

A man stepped through broken pillars.

Cassian Thorn.

Tall. Pale. Wrapped in a coat of severed thread-bonds — symbols of past victims trailing behind him like trophies.

In front of him knelt a Lust Host — shivering, confused, with a fading bond mark across her neck.

"P-please... don’t do this..."

Cassian looked down. Cold. Empty. Almost bored.

"I don’t break bonds because I want to."

His hand reached toward her chest, fingers glowing with corrupted light.

"I break them... because you never should’ve had one in the first place."

She screamed—

And light exploded.

The bond shattered.

She collapsed—emotionless, blank.

Just another husk.

Cassian turned away.

"One down. Elias Black... you’re next."

---

Back at the Dominion

Elias stood before the System Map.

Dots of light pulsed across the world—each one a registered Host.

"More are awakening every hour," Rina said, pointing. "But now... something’s wrong."

Velhira stepped closer. "I feel it too."

> [System Alert: Unknown Presence Detected – Coordinates Obscured]

[Pattern: Bond Severances Increasing. Emotional Catatonia Confirmed.]

Mira’s expression darkened. "Someone’s cutting them off. Host by Host."

Aurora frowned. "But why?"

Aya answered without hesitation. "Because they want Elias alone."

---

Zehn’s First Test

Later that night, Zehn stood on the tower balcony, watching Dominion’s city lights flicker.

Sae wrapped her arms around his waist. "You okay?"

He hesitated.

"I was ready to burn everything. But Elias didn’t stop me with fire. He stopped me with... patience. That’s new."

She chuckled. "You sure he didn’t just out-alpha you?"

Zehn cracked a grin. "Yeah. Maybe."

Below them, Elias walked with Velhira and Rina.

"I don’t know who’s doing it yet," Elias said, "but we need to stop them before they turn this system into a graveyard."

Velhira looked up. "They’re not just targeting Hosts, Elias. They’re targeting what makes us different."

Rina swallowed. "Love."

---

A New System Message

> [All Hosts, Hear This:]

"Your emotions are weakness.

Your bonds are lies.

One by one, I will free you from them.

— C.T."

The screen flickered.

Cassian’s pale face appeared.

Emotionless.

He stared directly into Elias’s feed.

"I’m coming for what you built, Harem Lord. Let’s see if they’ll stay with you once I cut their strings."

---

Final Scene: The Challenge Begins

Elias’s eyes didn’t blink.

He stood up.

"They’re not puppets. And I’m not a king."

He turned to the girls behind him.

"They’re with me because they chose to be."

Aya nodded. "Let’s make sure no one forgets that."

Velhira whispered, "Then we find Cassian Thorn..."

"And we tear his logic apart with the thing he fears most."

Lilith smirked. "Real feelings."

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